This invention relates to a measuring and dispensing device which can be used for powdered and granular materials, and is particularly suitable for dispensing spices, but it may be used with other kinds of free flowing materials such as medicines, tooth powder, sugar, coffee, and the like.
Many people working in the culinary arts, and homemakers have used measuring spoons over the years to measure liquids, and free flowing materials of various kinds. There are obvious disadvantages to the use of measuring spoons such as having them readily available for use, having to open the condiment or other jar, and scooping out the correct amount without spilling the material on the counter top or floor. There has been a need for measuring devices which are attached directly to the container, and inventors have responded with alternative concepts for measuring and dispensing all types of liquids and free flowing materials by means of container tops having chambers within them. The present device has features that make it suitable for mounting on standard 3xc2xd ounce and 5xc2xd ounce spice jars which have a small exit opening which has an internal diameter of 1.25 inches, thereby making it difficult to keep the height of the measuring device, when measuring xc2xc, xc2xd, and 1 teaspoon amounts, to a minimum. The standard spice jars are small, approximately 3xc2xd inches in height for a 3xc2xd ounce jar. Replacing the standard cap, on these small jars, with a measuring device which is much longer than 1 inch in height creates multiple problems. Spice jars with measuring caps that are too long do not fit on many multiple level spice racks. In multiple level spice racks that can accommodate the added length of the spice jar, removal and replacement is complicated by the small clearance between the top of the measurement cap and the next level of spices. Long measuring and dispensing jar tops on such a small jar have a poor appearance, and become top heavy especially when lighter weight spices such as flaked parsley or flaked oregano are used. A longer jar top also has the disadvantage of having smaller holes in the entrance and exit openings for the lower volumes of spice such as xc2xc teaspoon. Smaller diameter chambers with longer lengths and smaller entrance and exit openings also create flow problems.
The Palmer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,235, shows a measuring design depicted in FIG. 1B. The Palmer design has a long length, approximately 2 inches, because the central shaft, and the largest chamber opening to accommodate a 1 teaspoon measurement size, take up a large space within the very limited 1.25 inch diameter of the inside of the exiting diameter of a standard spice jar. The Palmer design must be rotated 90 degrees to move between an open chamber and the next chamber. The 90 degree rotation for each of 4 filling positions restricts the cross-section of the 1 teaspoon size chamber to a 90 degree sector. This restriction along with the unusable space taken up by the central shaft requires that the 1 teaspoon size chamber has to be approximately 2 inch in length. Also, in the Palmer design the required long length of the drum makes the xc2xc teaspoon entrance and exit diameters of the drum small, less than xc2xc inch diameter, to achieve the required volume.
Other dispensing devices include Slayton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,487; Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,995; Fridman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,535; Saunders, U.S. Pat. No. 2,515,735; Tepper, U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,010; and, Bode, U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,612. These patents are all related to dispensing measured amounts of various free flowing materials. In Slayton, xe2x80x9cpocketsxe2x80x9d are used to measure the amount of material selected. The design has a central shaft which reduces the available space for the pocket opening, and the opening width of the largest pocket is controlled by the sector size. The restricted area within a standard spice jar establishes the height of the pockets for the 1 teaspoon size. The measurement pocket is too high with the design as shown in the patent for a 1 teaspoon measurement. Fridman, Saunders, Tepper, and Bode all have the limitation of central shafts, which occupy space within the allowable area of a standard spice jar cap opening, thereby limiting the size of the available measurement chamber opening, and therefor making a low measurement chamber height unobtainable.
The present invention consists of ajar top device applicable to all types of containers but specifically suitable for use with standard spice jars of the 3xc2xd ounce and 5xc2xd ounce sizes, that allows for measurement and dispensing of desired quantities of free flowing material. The spice jar top has three primary parts, a jar cap which replaces the standard spice jar cap, a metering drum section, and a spout. The cap has a threaded attachment which is screwed onto the spice jar, and an inclined interface ring which permits attachment to a metering drum by a rotatable, snap-action ring located on the metering drum. The metering drum has three measuring chambers for measuring xc2xc teaspoon, xc2xd teaspoon, and 1 teaspoon quantities. The metering drum is attached to the spice jar cap at the entrance end of the chambers by the rotatable, snap-action ring. An inclined interface ring is located at the exit end of the chambers for attachment to the spout. The spout is attached to the metering drum at the exit end of the chambers by a rotatable, snap-action ring located on the spout.
The jar cap has a single opening approximately xe2x85x9c inch in diameter which serves as the entrance opening for the spices coming from the jar into the measuring chambers in the metering drum. The entrance opening matches three further openings located on the entrance end of the metering drum which three openings are also approximately xe2x85x9c inch in diameter. The metering drum has three measuring chambers, a xc2xc teaspoon, xc2xd teaspoon, and 1 teaspoon sizes, which have matching, approximately xe2x85x9c inch diameter entrance openings at the entrance end, and matching, approximately xe2x85x9c inch diameter exit openings at the exit end of the metering drum. The center portion of the metering drum is expanded in size from the entrance and exit openings to provide the full measurement volume within a reduced length, of approximately 1 inch, of the metering drum. The choice of xe2x85x9c inch diameters at the metering drum interface with the jar cap and spout permits 6 rotational positions. Three positions have approximately xe2x85x9c inch diameter openings aligned to allow flow into or out of the measuring chambers of the metering drum, and three positions block flow into or out of the measuring chambers of the metering drum. To achieve the openings and volumes within a metering drum height of approximately 1 inch the metering drum is split into two parts. The two parts of the metering drum are securely locked in place by a locking, snap-action ring. The ring is located on the part of the metering drum furthest away from the spice jar, and mates with a locking interface ring located on the part of the metering drum nearest to the spice jar. The two parts of the metering drum are also aligned during assembly and prevented from rotation by anti-rotation tabs located on the part nearest the spice jar which mate with anti-rotation grooves located on the part furthest from the jar.
In the present invention the entrance and exit openings of each of the chambers is intentionally sized at an approximately xe2x85x9c inch diameter which is accomplished by the split metering drum design. The larger volume contained within the drum does not affect the size of the entrance and exit openings. The xe2x85x9c inch diameter entrance and exit openings were selected to provide a sufficient opening size to improve the flow of smaller measured amounts, such as the xc2xc teaspoon amount, through the openings, and also to accommodate larger spices such as flake sized spice materials which have difficulty passing through holes which are smaller than xe2x85x9c inches in diameter, especially if the length of the chamber is long. Another benefit of using xe2x85x9c inch diameter entrance and exit holes is that blank spaces can be accommodated between the entrance and exit openings so that approximately 60 degrees of rotation in either direction from the entrance or exit hole blocks the path of material either into or out of the drum. This feature allows the measured amount to be pre-selected in the upright position of the spice jar and then the jar can be inverted for filling that chamber. Then, once the chamber is filled, the chamber entrance hole can be closed, by rotation of the cap to a blank space, thereby blocking any further flow of spice into the chamber. The spice can then be stored in the chamber or dispensed. If it is desired to dispense the spice the exit hole in the spout is then opened by rotating the spout from a blank space to the open position, while the spice jar is still in the inverted position, and the spice will be dispensed.
The spice jar top described herein preferably, but optionally, has arrows and markings indicating the locations of the measuring chambers for the xc2xc teaspoon, xc2xd teaspoon, and 1 teaspoon sizes, and further preferably but optionally, raised bars to indicate the location of blocked spaces. The desired amount of spice is dialed into the device by rotating the rotatable, snap-action ring furthest away from the spice jar to a blocked position, and then rotating the rotatable, snap-action ring nearest to the spice jar to the desired position. Inverting the jar then fills the measuring chamber. The entire spice jar top is preferably made from clear polypropylene plastic material, but other materials may be used. The filling of the selected chamber is observed visually through the clear plastic metering drum to insure that it is completely filled then the rotatable, snap-action ring located nearest to the spice jar is rotated to a blocked position so no further contact is made between the spices within the spice jar and the measuring chamber. Then, the rotatable snap-action ring located at the exit spout is rotated to the open position to allow the spices to flow out of the measuring chamber.